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Show 4 : ! The Psychological Time to Build : BY V. H. RICH EY, Secretary of the Salt Lake Real Estate Board. Perhaps no question has been more frequently fre-quently asked since the beginning ' of the war than, "When iy the. psychological time to build?" During normal times building construction throughout the United States amounts to about $1,500,-006,000 $1,500,-006,000 a year. In 1917, according to the record of building permits issued in various vari-ous parts of the country, building operations opera-tions dropped off to less than $T50,OUU,000. Of this amount, only about one-third represented rep-resented actual construction work. Today To-day the situation is even worse, particularly particu-larly in the matter of private construction, construc-tion, with the result that there Is scarcely scarce-ly a city in the land that has housing facilities for its, rapidly increasing population. popu-lation. The building of great structures has been curtailed largely because of patriotic patri-otic reasons, that the materials and labor may be conserved for the more needed buildings In Industrial centers which have been built up around the need for munitions muni-tions of war, and much of the labor formerly for-merly utilized in 1 he construction of investment in-vestment buildings has been diverted to shipbuilding, while the 'army and navy have drawn upon the skilled labor of the country to an enormous extent. The high cost of labor and material, also, has been an Important element In the depression in the building line. Notwithstanding the high costs of building build-ing material and labor, however, there Is no strong argument against the building of homes at the present time, as no hope is held out that the cost of materials will fall In price for many years, and there is scarcely any prospect that wages will ever be lower than now. The working man has always found it a difficult matter to bring about an Increase In the w;me scalu, and, as the supply of labor, except that which is unskilled, will not be greater th;m it is today, the present wage scales. are likely to prevail for many years to come. After the war the United States wtll have an enormous job on its hands in supplying materials for the reconstruction of the destroyed cities of Kurope, and for many years labor will be absorbed as It never has been before. Therefore, there Is no lop;lc In waiting until after the war to build tho home that has been planned for years. Now Is the psychological time to build. The home built before the close of the war will cost less than if deferred .until after the conflict, and it will be worth more when pence comes, because the demand for desirable houses is goln? to increase. This condition will materialize particularly particu-larly In the west, to which the overflowing overflow-ing pupu la! ion of the east will spread. Utah, which has become famed as one i of the richest states In the west, because I of its wonderful agricultural and mineral" resources, will greatly increase in population. popula-tion. Hundreds of thousands of our soldiers sol-diers will return to this country to begin life anew. The! r ,experienees will have developed In them a broader ambition than to return to office and factory, and the broad expanse of the west will welcome wel-come them wl th open arms. The cities of the west will receive their share, and homes must be provided for them. |